Reflect On American Sociologist's Communication Research:1910-1950

Early research of communication and sociology closely related each other. The Chicago School and the subsequent Columbia School of communication research both have output many classical communication researches. Although there are many papers on communication research of sociologists, there are not reflective studies on the Chicago School and the Columbia School as the two stages of a whole. The sociological communication research is too rich to have an deep understanding easily. A way to achieve this is to establish a knowledge coordinate around several important issues, including the rise and fall of a school, the paradigm attribution, the theory construction, the research care, and diligently restore the essence of sociologist communication ideas.Through the analysis of the four dimensions——the rise and fall of a school, the paradigm attribution, the theory construction, the research stance, the study found:Firstly, the conventional factors, such as the changes of American social problems, the conversion of research ideas and research questions, the research funds, the fail of institutionalisation, and other factors affect the rise and fall of American communication research, that is, the relationship between "society" and "communication" as a clue.Secondly, the "structure" and "function" theory as the two path in sociology both view society as a whole, often be used in conjunction with each other, that is structural functionalism, which is intrinsically linked to communication research by emphasizing the meaning and consequences of behavior. The neglected Chicago school of sociology also has the color of functionalism and administrative research. However, due to the optimistic attitude towards technology, the Chicago school has less critical attitude. Lazarsfeld, who intended to incorporate a little critical research, unfinished. Due to the urgent need of external financial support, as well as the functional theory, there is a common between the two schools. However, in the field of communication research, structural functionalism, administrative research and the Colombian school is viewed as the same, and the Chicago School of administrative and functional color is ignored. One reason is that, Schramm, Chaffee and others, these communication history writers have their own choices, the other due to human cognitive habit.Thirdly, those sociologists have a continuing concern for the significance of communication in democracy society. This paper finds that communication is a foothold in Dewey's political discussion. Associated life, community and democracy are dependent on the communication activities of the intermediary in Dewey's ideas. Cooley, Mead, Park's ideas also emphasized the benefits of interpersonal communication for the formation of public opinion and the community. In Lazarsfeld and Berelson's research, the homogeneity of communication is common among the people, people's rational communication is replaced by the gregariousness conversation, that nevertheless contributed to the stability of democracy. In real public communication, citizens are talking to citizens who differ in value, but the real communication is rare, and the meaning of communication in democracy is limited.Fourthly, interpersonal communication is very important in sociologists' communication research, while mass communication as variables become dispensable. Interpersonal communication, which has rich content and more flexible concept, coupled with the theoretical model, contributed to more attentions to interpersonal communication variables.Subsequently, the article find that empirical studies have accidentally caused the proliferation of low-level theory of communication research, narrowing the scope of empirical analysis, and ultimately limit the depth of theory insight. To introduce the philosophy of thinking and construct a relatively complete picture of knowledge are necessary. In addition, due to the lack of recognition of the defects of the theory of the middle, the theory of communication research faced a trivial predicament. The article argues that it is possible to make up the logic of middle-level theoretical construction by proposing big problems and using theory in advance of research.The perspectives of communication and society should be linked in communication research, and this will contribute to the output of high-level theory which not only has explanatory effect and public concern to social changes, but also linked to the middle and lower theory.